Categories
Industrial noise

How to Easily Create a Noise Map from Occupational Noise Measurements in Your Factory

If you’re a safety officer, EHS manager, or plant engineer, you probably already perform occupational noise measurements as part of your workplace safety program. But are you making the most of that data?

Creating a noise map from your measurements doesn’t require complex modeling or advanced acoustic training anymore. With the right tools, it’s simple, fast, and incredibly useful—especially when it comes to compliance, communication, and proactive noise control.

In this article, we’ll show you how to convert your sound level meter readings into a clear, professional noise map using SoundPLANmanda, a modern acoustic simulation tool available through SoundPLAN Asia.


Why Create a Noise Map in Your Factory?

Occupational noise mapping offers multiple advantages over raw decibel readings:

  • Visual clarity: Identify high-exposure zones at a glance
  • Compliance support: Demonstrate adherence to ISO 11690 and local regulations
  • Better communication: Explain noise risks to management and workers with clear visuals
  • Targeted noise control: Plan barriers or PPE more effectively
  • Documentation: A noise map supports audits, inspections, and long-term safety planning

Step-by-Step: Creating a Factory Noise Map from Measurements

You don’t need to guess or model everything from scratch. If you’ve already measured noise levels across your production floor using a sound level meter, you’re halfway there.

Here’s how to go from measurement to map in just a few steps.


1. Prepare Your Measurement Data

Use a calibrated Class 1 or Class 2 sound level meter to measure LAeq values (or others as required by your local standard). Common measurement points include:

  • Operator positions
  • Between machines
  • Walkways and entrances
  • Control rooms

Export your data in a spreadsheet or directly from your instrument’s software.


2. Set Up Your Factory Layout in SoundPLANmanda

Using SoundPLANmanda, you can:

  • Import a simple 2D floor plan (DWG, DXF, PDF, or image file)
  • Define walls, machinery, and other structures as obstacles or reflective surfaces
  • Place receivers or measurement points where your data was collected

The interface is user-friendly and designed for safety officers—not just acoustics consultants.


3. Input Measured Sound Levels

Instead of guessing source power levels, you can:

  • Assign the actual measured levels to machinery locations
  • Treat measurement points as fixed-level sound sources in the model
  • Optionally, use standard machinery noise levels from a built-in library

This is where SoundPLANmanda shines—it allows quick, practical modeling based on real factory data.


4. Run the Calculation and Generate the Noise Map

With one click, SoundPLANmanda performs the calculation and:

  • Interpolates noise levels across the entire workspace
  • Factors in reflections and shielding effects
  • Generates a color-coded noise map overlaid on your factory layout

You can easily spot areas exceeding 85 dB(A), 90 dB(A), or any other threshold.

noise at work, occupational noise mapping made easy!
noise at work, occupational noise mapping made easy!

5. Export and Share the Results

You can export:

  • High-resolution noise maps (PDF or image)
  • Data tables for reporting
  • Project files for documentation

Noise maps can be printed and posted in break rooms, emailed to management, or used during safety briefings.


Use Cases: How Safety Officers Use Noise Maps

  • Zoning for PPE requirements
  • Identifying sources for noise reduction efforts
  • Evaluating the impact of new machines
  • Improving layout for lower noise exposure
  • Preparing for DOL or ISO audits

Why Use SoundPLANmanda?

Most traditional noise modeling tools are built for expert consultants. SoundPLANmanda is:

  • Easy to learn — no acoustic degree needed
  • Designed for real users — safety officers, maintenance teams, engineers
  • Fast and modern — runs on your PC with a simple, clean interface
  • Backed by experts — SoundPLAN Asia provides local support and training

SEO Keywords Targeted in This Post:

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Ready to Try It Yourself?

If you’re already collecting occupational noise measurements, you can create your first noise map today. It takes less than an hour with the right setup.

Visit www.soundplan.asia to learn more, request a demo, or get started with SoundPLANmanda.

Need help? Our acoustic experts in Southeast Asia are ready to support you in English, Thai, Bahasa, or Vietnamese.


Need a Template to Get Started?

Contact us and we’ll send you a free starter project file and layout template to use in your own facility.

Categories
Acoustic modelling Industrial noise Noise propagation

Noise mapping is now made easy

When designing a building, architects have a lot to consider, such as understanding the client’s brief, budget considerations, ensuring building regulations are met, safety and environmental requirements, creating new building designs, drawing up detailed plans, and working closely with other contractors involved. 

There is, however, one invisible factor that is sometimes overlooked – and that’s noise. The noise levels from, and within, a building can strongly influence whether it is judged as a success or failure. Taking steps to mitigate excessive noise brings many benefits to the environment, the economy, and the health of a building’s users and the local community.

A survey conducted by Earth5R in January 2023 by 45 volunteers from 15 Indian cities investigated noise pollution and found that noise levels were nearly 50 per cent higher than the permissible limit of 50 dBin ‘silent’ and residential areas.

Making the invisible, visible

Although noise is invisible, by using simulation software, it is possible to create a noise map. These are very visual demonstrations of where it comes from and how it propagates. The charts are color-coded so can be understood easily. This can be useful, especially when dealing with the local community or non-building professionals involved in the project. Mapping software can also break down different noise components rather than just giving an overall figure as a measurement does. With this approach, mitigation can be targeted in the most cost-efficient way.

Uncomplicating the process

If one only has an occasional requirement to undertake a project to assess noise, then mapping the noise using specialist software does not need to be complicated. Perhaps requires a one-off survey for an industrial plant, development plan, or transport infrastructure or one may need to predict the noise emissions from sound systems at an open-air event, to give a graphical overview of the expected noise during the planning of the stage setup. That’s why the developed SoundPLAN essential, software is designed to provide reliable tabular and graphical results for a standard noise calculation with the investment of minimal time. What to consider when choosing software:

  • Clear documentation is just as important for one-off or occasional noise projects as it is for more comprehensive noise mapping. Check that the software provides informative, standardized tables and clear graphical outputs so that one can present and document the noise map calculation results professionally and clearly in no time at all.
  • Does the software enable one to map different types of noise emissions from roads, railways, and industry sources effortlessly? For example, for industrial noise, is there a convenient level calculator whereby machine operating times and the emission of moving sound sources can be taken into account very easily?
  • Check the software is always up to date with the latest noise standards for road, rail, industry, events, parking lots, and for noise from outside sources that can affect people within a building.
  • Make sure it contains a large number of noise emissions data within its library, including emission of moving sound sources, to simplify noise reporting, whilst also giving one the flexibility to add their own data at any time. The information can come from manufacturers’ specifications, software libraries, and many other sources.
  • Choose software that enables to import and adjust geometry data. It should enable one to transfer background maps from Google Maps and Open Street Map so that one can use these as a basis for terrain models and work on projects efficiently.
  • Does the software include a ‘Building Acoustics-Outside‘ module? This is a very helpful tool when it comes to noise remediation or protective measures against external noise when planning buildings. It can be used to prove the acoustic properties of a room against unwanted outdoor noise. Software should conform to the updated standard EN ISO 12354-3:2017, relating to the estimation of the acoustic performance of buildings. The software should include optimization for any number of facades and components, as well as the use of a library of supplied sound insulation options.
  • If the requirements are changing and one needs more than occasional standard noise mapping, can they easily be upgraded to a more comprehensive noise mapping package, like SoundPLAN noise?

About Michel Rosmolen:

Michel Rosmolen, director of SoundPLAN Asia, shares tips about what to look for in noise mapping software when one only has an occasional project requirement. 

Categories
Industrial noise

Sound approach to reducing O&G drilling & industrial noise

Sound approach to reducing O&G Drilling & Industrial noise

Industrial noise can cause significant health issues for workers and the potential for litigation against any company not taking the necessary steps to protect their staff and environmental noise levels in public places. Jochen Schaal, Managing Director of SoundPLAN GmbH, and Michel Rosmolen, Director, SoundPLAN Asia, outline the benefits of noise mapping software that offers solution for issues relating to noise pollution.

Industrial noise can cause significant health issues for workers and the potential for litigation against any company not taking the necessary steps to protect their staff. It can also impact on environmental
noise levels in public places. Industrial noise emissions come from a wide variety of sources. However, they cannot be categorised easily as every industrial situation is different. This makes evaluation and mitigation much more difficult compared to other noise sources, such as traffic.
    Noise sources differ widely in sound power, emitted frequency spectra, directivity and also in their time dependency. The characteristics of the emitted noise from drilling and exploration activity can vary between irregularly propagated noise impulses and almost continuous noise levels from associated equipment and processes.

    Occupational-related hearing loss is one of the most common work-related illnesses worldwide. For example, in the United States, The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year. The regulatory limit set by countries for occupational noise tends to be 85 decibels (dB) for an 8-hour working day. We assume that the danger of hearing loss occures if people are exposed to a noise level of more than that. This risk increases with the magnitude and exposure time and the frequency of the noise; with higher frequencies doing more damage.

    To control noise, Indian Government enacted the Noise Pollution (Regulation & Control) Rules, 2000, in exercise of its powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Data from India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which tracks noise-levels through monitoring stations, found that almost every part of India’s six metro cities, violates noise pollution standards. Not surprisingly, the study, conducted in 2018 (the latest year for which data was available), found that the noisiest parts of the cities studied are in commercial and industrial areas.

    The main problem in noisy processes is findingand documenting where the noise reaches 85 dB, known as the ‘noise contour line’. In areas where noise levels exceed 85 dB, workers must wear hearing protection. If the 85 dB line is not clearly marked, companies may be liable to fines. If a plant has areas close to or above 85 dB, it is wise to invest in a noise study to define all areas where hearing protection is required.

    Oil & Gas (O&G) drilling and exploration activity, geosciences and engineering processes generate substantially high levels of noise. Sources of noise attributed to oil and gas development includes truck traffic, drilling, hydraulic fracturing, completion activities, production well pumps and air compressors. These sources have different frequencies, durations, and overall sound pressure levels that make it difficult to control and can often be close to residential and commercial areas.

Mapping software goes much further than measurements, which only record the overall level of noise as it occurs at a specific geographic point. The mapping software produces graphical representations of the noise using colours to depict the different levels. A noise map helps introduce controls to start defending the environment and people against unwanted noise. The software meets all major international noise standards.

Technology

As activity reduced during the pandemic, levels of noise and air pollution also decreased. Data from seismologists undertaken in March 2020 in numerous major cities, such as London and Los Angeles, show that average noise levels decreased, due to less traffic and reduced industrial activity. As the world gets ‘back to work’, we must ensure that these green gains are not reversed. The silence in our streets during the pandemic has made us aware that it’s not cities themselves that create noise, but the people within them.

Working safer and smarter
We are all going to have to work extremely hard on the road to recovery from this pandemic, so we might as well be smarter about it, by using the best technology and data possible. As restrictions are eased, the Indian government and industry must work hard to ensure that complacency doesn’t creep in and continue to protect people and places.

    In its 2021 ‘World Report on Hearing’, the WHO indicates that there are currently 401 million people in the South-East Asia region living with hearing loss. By 2050, it estimates that 666 million people are projected to have problems with their hearing.

    Focus should not only be on combatting the virus risk, but also on a range of other factors that impact our wellbeing, including air and noise pollution, and encouraging clean energy solutions. As specialists in noise control and mapping software, we are convinced that even after the pandemic, levels can be systematically decreased.

    It is not hard to recognise nuisance noise, but identifying its exact source and field of propagation can be a very different matter. If you are going to reduce it and mitigate its harmful effects, then you need to know as much about it as possible. To be truly effective, any attempts at its control must be based on an accurate analysis rather than guesswork or reference to previously recorded levels.

    Smart solutions bring together infrastructure and technology to improve and connect urban development. The Indian government has recognised the importance of this through initiatives such as its ‘Smart Cities Mission’, which aims to drive economic growth and improve the quality of people’s lives, by enabling local area improvements and harnessing technology, especially options that lead to Smart outcomes.

    One example is IoT technology, which enables objects (devices, buildings, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity) to communicate with each other through the internet. This includes noise sensors, online noise monitoring platforms, and noise mapping software.

    Advances in technology mean that, not only can existing noise be calculated and moderated, but by using mapping software, future levels can be predicted and assessed before projects have even begun. Using this simulation software, a visual demonstration of where the noise comes from, and how it propagates, can be produced.

Testing out scenarios with data

Mapping software goes much further than measurements, which only record the overall level of noise as it occurs at a specific geographic point. A noise map shows the position of sources including all geometrical data and noise levels inside and outside a building. Each noise map is unique, according to project size, geography, objectives, the relevant noise sources, but most of all, on what data is available and can be readily acquired to be imported and used.

    Using this input data, noise mapping software can create realistic simulation models of how noise will propagate. The data can come from multiple different sources, graphical information systems or other mapping services, counts of traffic mix for road and rail roads, manufacturers’ specifications, software libraries or any other source.

    Different noise components, from a range of locations and from multiple sources, can be broken down, including machinery and equipment. This means that the impact can be evaluated across a range of locations, to show the sources of the loudest noise, and propagation across the site. It can also help show how well mitigation factors, such as a noise protection wall or soundproofing of equipment, may work.

    Noise maps can also be used for specialist purposes, such as the positioning of turbines, as they show how noise will move across the landscape in different environmental situations. More importantly, it can show how mitigation measures can affect the flow of noise and protect workers. To be fully effective it is important to understand what type of mitigation method will be most appropriate in each setting and exactly where it should be positioned. Getting it wrong can be costly in both financial and health terms.

    The mapping software gives the option of developing ‘ what if scenarios’ so that the impact of developments or activities can be assessed in advance. Different options can be trialled and costed on the computer, rather than having to expensively retrofit noise mitigation measures. Future noise levels can be predicted, and pre-emptive steps taken to control it. With this approach, noise mitigation can be targeted in the most cost-efficient way.

Visualising the hazards

The mapping software produces graphical representations of the noise using colours to depict the different levels, which can be in 3D and animated formats, if required. This colour coding means the information can be easily understood, giving a very visual demonstration of where noise comes from and how it propagates.

    After creating a noise map, you can introduce controls to start defending the environment and people against unwanted noise and use the mapping software to assess which is the most sustainable approach.

    The software is fast, meets all major international noise standards, and provides users with an accurate calculation package with superb graphics supporting all levels of customer presentation.

Controlling noise

By recognising that noise is a significant issue and taking the appropriate steps to mitigate it, the energy sector has the opportunity to devise the best processes, which are environmentally sound.

    The consequences of not reducing our environmental footprint include increased noise and air pollution with the associated health, safety, and financial impacts. Mapping software can make significant improvements in a variety of drilling and exploration operations by clearly identifying problem issues and the effectiveness of possible mitigation measures. Using the software places the power of a  comprehensive noise calculation system in your hands.

About the authors

Jochen Schaal is Managing Director of SoundPLAN GmbH, an innovative software company and engineering firm and market leader in the fields of noise control, noise mapping, occupational health and safety and room acoustics. He is responsible for overall business strategy, markets and product development, key partner relationships, and brand development. Jochen’s professional expertise in the field of noise control also means he often supports guideline work in ISO and DIN Standards committees in Germany and across Europe and at international level. Academic degrees: Dipl. Ing. (FH)

Jochen Schaal

Michel Rosmolen is Director of SoundPLAN Asia. Michel is an active committee member at IIAV (International Institute for Acoustics and Vibration), where he is currently Director from 2020 – 2024, having previously held this role the 2014 – 2018. He also holds the role of Chair Sponsor & Exhibitions at IIAV since 2012. Michel is also a board- member of Society of Acoustics, Singapore as Honorary General Secretary. At the International Year of Sound he is a Steering Committee member for SE Asia.

Michel Rosmolen

References
The Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topic s/noise/default.html
ISO 1999:2013 https://www.iso.org/standard/45103.html    and    https://www.osha.gov/noise

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Noise%20Pollution%20(Regulation%20and%20Cont rol)%20Rules,%202000.pdf
https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/4316/1/ep_act_198 6.pdf
National Herald: https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/vid eos/indian-cities-rank-high-on- noise-pollution

Kaur, H (2020) ‘The coronavirus pandemic is making the earth vibrate less’ (2020) CNN (https:// edition.cnn.com/2020/04/02/world/coronavirus-earth-seismic-noise- scn-trnd/index.html)
World Health Organization info graphic : https://www.who.int/multi-media/details/ear-and-hearing-care—searo
Ellesmore, J. (2019) ‘Smart Cities: T h e F u t u r e O f U r b a n Development’ Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/05/19/smart-cities-the-future-of-urban-development/#36f644492f90)
http://smartcities.gov.in